Knee-adjusting mechanism



J. A. DALY.

KNEE ADJUSTING MECHANISM.

FILED SEPT. 15, 1919.

Feb. 6, 1923.

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PateinitedlFelo. 6, 1923.

nia srs maaar oasi ZI'ALVIIEIS A. DALY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

KNEE-ADJUSTING MECHANJESM. i

Application filed September 15, 1919. Serial No. 323,936.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. DALY', a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne\ and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knee- Adjusting Mechanisms, of. which the following is a specification, reference being had -therein to the accompanying drawings.

ln the operation of die sinking machines, drill presses, and other machines provided with knees or work holders, it has been the practicey to raise and lower the knees or work holders by hand and in consequence thereof it is extremely difficult to adjust a knee or workliolder when the same is holding a large piece of heavy work.

My invention aims to render the adjustment of a knee or work holder compara.- tively easy by providing power means independent of the usual power of a drlll press or die sinking machine to raise and lower the knee or work holder thereof, said power means including a t-readle and a lever so that an artisan or an attendant of the machine may readily control the use of the power means for adjusting the knee or work holder.

My invention further aims to provide knee adjusting mechanism that may be compactly assembled beneath a knee so as not to interfere with operations on a piece of work held by the knee, the adjusting mechanism being simple in construction, durable, and applicable for vvarious types of machines.

My invention will behereinafter specifically described and Athen claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a die sinking machine provided with knee adjusting mechanism in accordance with my invention, the mechanism being partly in elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line IIe-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isan enlarged vertical sectional view of a telescopic shaft forming part of the adjusting mechanism, and

Fig, 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

As illustrating a conventional form of die sinking machine that may be provided with my improvement, there is illustrated a base 1 having a column 2 with the usual power appliances at the upper end thereof. The front side or throat of the column 2 has a guide 3 for a hollow knee 4 and adjustable on the knee 4 is a table or work holder 5.

0n thebase 1 is a pedestal 6 supporting telescopic screw 7, the uppermost screw having connections with a partition 8 in the knee 4, so that when' the screws are rotated and adjusted relative to each other or to the pedestal 6 of the base 1 the knee 4 is raised or lowered.

Between the b ase 1 and the partition8- of the knee 4 is a telescopic shaft comprising an outer shaft 9, an intermediate shaft 10, and an inner shaft 11. The outer shaft 9 is journaled in the knee partition 8 and retained in engagement therewith by a horizontally disposed gear wheel 12 on the upper end of Said shafti and a thrust collar 13 mounted on said shaft below the partition 8. The horizontally disposed gear wheel 12 meshes with an intermediate gear 14 on the partition 8 and said intermediate gear meshes with a gear wheel 15 on the upper end of the uppermost screw 7 of the pedestal 6. Itis therefore possible for the outer shaft 9, when rotated, to transmit power to the telescopic screws 7. i

vThe lowerend of the outer shaft 9 has stops and keys 16 which 'are diametrically opposed and extend into longitudinal grooves 17 provided therefor in the intermediate shaft 10, said shaft having the upper end thereof provided with stops 18. The lower end of the intermediate shaft 10 has stops and keys 19 extending into longitudinal grooves 2O provided therefor in the inner shaft 11, 'and on the upper end of the inner shaft 11 are stops 21, while intermediate the ends of said shaft is a collar 22. The extreme lower end of the inner shaft 11 is journaled in t-he pedestal 1 and with this shaft held relative to such pedestal and the outer shaft 9 held relative to the knee 4, the intermediate shaft 10 may establish a driving relation between the outer and inner shafts with the knee 4 at any height relative to the base 1.

Loose on the inner shaft 11 are horizontally disposed beveled gear wheels 23 and 24 meshing with a. beveled gear wheel 25 mounted on an auxiliary power shaft 26, journaled in the column 2, adjacent the base 1, said auxiliary power shaft having a pulleyL 27 representing the transmission wheel SEB MEO

vmeans of the machine.

by which power from a motor or other suitengagement with either of the clutch members28 of the gear wheels 23 and 2 the inner shaftll may be rotated in a. desired di- Irection and consequently raise or lower the knee 4 of the machine.

The clutch member 29 has the usual peripheral groove 30 to receive studs 31 of a fork 32 carried by the inner end of a treadle 33 pivotally supported by a bracket 34 secured to the pedestal 6. The bracket 34 has the upper and lower ends thereofl provided with spring seats or perches 35 for springs 36 said-springs engaging the inner end of the treadle to maintain said treadle normally in a neutral position, that is, with the shiftable clutch member 29 out of engagement with either of the clutch members 28. The forked inner end of the treadle 33 has a side and loose connection, as at 37 with the short arm 38 of a lever 39, said lever being pivotally connected to the side of the column 2 as at 40 and corresponding to a large bell crank which will permit of 4an operators hand shifting t-he clutch member 29.

Assuming that power is applied to' the auxiliary power shaft 26 and that the clutch member 29 is in a neutral position, foot pressure on the treadle 33 will raise the clutch member 29 into engagement with the clutch member 28 of the beveled gear wheel 23 and the power applied to the telescopic shaft will -lower the knee 4 and continue to do so as long as foot pressure is on the treadle 33. When the foot is removed from the treadle 33 the springs 36 restore the treadle to a neutral position, eut oft' power to the telescopic shaft, and consequently leave the knee 4 in its adjusted position.

vapplication of power to When it is desird to raise the knee 4 relative to the base 1, the lever. 39 is pulled toward the knee 4 causing the shiftable clutch member 29 to be shifted into engagement with the clutch member 28 of the gear wheel 24. The telescopic shaft is then rotated in a direction which causes the telescopic screws height has been reached it is only necessary to release the lever 39 and the springs 36 will restore said lever to a neutral position.

It is thought that the operation and utility of my invention will be appa-rent without further description, and while in the drawing there is illustrated a. preferred embodiment of the same, it is to' be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is l. In a machine having a. knee, a 'telescopic screw for raising and lowering said knee, a telescopic shaft adapted to impart movement to said screw, an auxiliary power shaftadapted to impart movement to said telescopicl shaft, and means controlling the said telescopic shaft, said means including a clutch, a treadle, and a lever, said treadle and'said lever being articulated so that either may operate said clutch,

2. A machine as characterize-d in claim l, and means maintaining said clutch normally neutral.

3. In a machine having a knee, raising and lowering means for said knee, power means adapted to operate said raising and lowering means, and controlling means for said power means which includes a treadle'for the application of power to lower said knee and a lever for the application of power to raise said knee.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. DALY.

Witnesses KARL H. BU'rr. aan, ANNA M. Donn.

i to raise the knee 4. Vhen a desired- 

